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Opening up about autism at work

Squid

Hi everyone 

I'm new here. I'm currently off work for a couple of months due to general mental health issues. Part of this is that I'm just starting to work through that I'm likely autistic. I've been referred for an assessment by my GP (which will take months to begin) but I know myself really well and I think it's extremely likely that the assessment will say I'm autistic. I've felt that I might be for years but have never built up the strength to do anything about it.

I work in a job/role that really isn't that compatible to my autistic traits but I've masked so long and so well that no one would really know how deeply uncomfortable and distressing it is to me on a day to day basis. This period off work feels like the culmination of me trying to cope for years and years and finally getting to my limit.

I'm really keen that this is a turning point for me where I'm really open with my work about things because this feels like a huge opportunity for me to change my life for the better by finally just being open and honest. But this is also terrifying me and I keep getting stuck on the "but they "know" me as this person so how can I then be like, actually that isn't really me, I've just been incredibly good at masking for a long time" thought pattern.

I'd love to hear anyone's experience of this kind of thing or tips on how to approach it cos at the moment I'm trying to make my way through it without a clue what I'm doing or what I could do.

Thank you Heart️ 

Parents

  • Hello. I understand where you’re coming from. I also work in a role which isn’t suited to me too, I work in a supermarket. I used to mask all the time, and id frequently end up going off sick. It was deemed to be mental health issues. This was before I knew I was autistic.
    When I finally got my diagnosis, I let work know and they have been very supportive. They’ve allowed me to use my loop earplugs, kept the days I work the same, and the big one for me is the exemption from wearing the headsets. You might have seen them, a lot of retail places are incorporating them now. For me though, they’re like torture devices. Intrusive, unnecessary and highly distressing to be wearing all day. I mean I use earplugs to block out noise, those things force it upon you! Were it not for me disclosing my autism, I would no doubt be forced to wear them. Despite being in a supermarket, I have been very lucky with the support.

    Being able to wear the earplugs has definitely helped, cause I used to hide in the toilet frequently, block my ears and just hide my head inside my cardigan just to get some restbite from the noise. 

    I also reduced my hours slightly too, as I’d recognised the hours I was working were contributing to the burnout.

    Good luck in your assessment, and from my experience I would open up. Once you unmask, it’s a lot less weight to carry, despite some of the obstacles like other colleagues questioning things. That’ll be pass though, people get bored quick. 

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  • Hello. I understand where you’re coming from. I also work in a role which isn’t suited to me too, I work in a supermarket. I used to mask all the time, and id frequently end up going off sick. It was deemed to be mental health issues. This was before I knew I was autistic.
    When I finally got my diagnosis, I let work know and they have been very supportive. They’ve allowed me to use my loop earplugs, kept the days I work the same, and the big one for me is the exemption from wearing the headsets. You might have seen them, a lot of retail places are incorporating them now. For me though, they’re like torture devices. Intrusive, unnecessary and highly distressing to be wearing all day. I mean I use earplugs to block out noise, those things force it upon you! Were it not for me disclosing my autism, I would no doubt be forced to wear them. Despite being in a supermarket, I have been very lucky with the support.

    Being able to wear the earplugs has definitely helped, cause I used to hide in the toilet frequently, block my ears and just hide my head inside my cardigan just to get some restbite from the noise. 

    I also reduced my hours slightly too, as I’d recognised the hours I was working were contributing to the burnout.

    Good luck in your assessment, and from my experience I would open up. Once you unmask, it’s a lot less weight to carry, despite some of the obstacles like other colleagues questioning things. That’ll be pass though, people get bored quick. 

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